


Piece by Piece

by highopes



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien-centric, F/M, Identity Reveal, POV Adrien Agreste, crushes all around, in which adrien is a oblivious dum-dum, sorta first kisses??, technically it's not a first kiss but you know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-24 20:53:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14363442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/highopes/pseuds/highopes
Summary: He thinks he knows everything about Ladybug until he doesn't.





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I've fallen into the Miraculous Ladybug fandom. This is the end result. This is more of a first part I guess you can say. There will probably be two or three parts I think??

It's that type of night where they actually have some time to talk before the beeping of their miraculous items warn them of their limited time left.  

" -- So, were you ever going to mention that kiss?"

He watches as Ladybug's eyes wide momentarily. She reminds him of a deer in the headlights. Almost immediately she's quick to defensive mode he notes. Her head turning quickly. 

"I told you that was to save you! You were under that akuma's spell!" Her hands are fluttering around in random gestures. 

It's cute how defensive she is, and he _hopes_. He smiles, and it's coy. It's with little ease that confidence seeps into his voice and posture. "It's okay, my lady. You don't have to use that excuse to ever kiss me."

Ladybug frowns, turning away with a huff. "Don't hold your breath, _kitty_."

But he does. He still has that hope that one day she'll actually kiss him to _kiss_ him. Not just for an obligation. 

Maybe she's thinking of that other boy. The one she said she loved. Some nights Adrien stays up and wonders just who he could be. It can't be someone he knows right? They don't know anything about each other. It's enough to make him yearn to know more about her. Anything more than just her code-name and the tiny tidbits she's shared about herself. 

Adrien winks and makes an exaggerated show of holding his breath. Ladybug rolls her eyes but he can catch the hint of a smile across her face before she's turning away, beginning to twirl her yo-yo. "Gotta run. See you later."

And she's off like the wind, and he's left behind still longing. 

* * *

 

The next time he sees Ladybug is, of course, due to another akuma attack. In the middle of it they end up tied up in Ladybug's yo-yo, hanging upside down that seems almost reminiscent to how they first met. He's all too aware of her nose that brushes against his, and the warmness of her breath as she looks back at him with brilliant blue eyes. They're close, too close. If he were to lean in just a tad bit more they would be kissing. He holds his breath.

But Ladybug is wiggling back and her yo-yo falls out of place leaving them both to fall to the ground from the pole they had been wrapped around. It's a bit painful but not as much as the reality of the moment that had just happened. His face feels hot as he runs fingers through his hair, and he swears he sees a flush come across her cheeks as well but she's turning away too quickly and the moment is _ruined_ already.

_No._ He wants to call her name. He wants to reach out to her. 

More than anything he wants to ask if she felt the same thing he just felt, like sparks across his skin.

"Ladyb--"

"Chat Noir!"

He feels instead of sees the attack. It feels like getting hit by a bus when he slams against the building nearest to him. It hurts but he's Chat Noir, not Adrien, so he manages through the pain. 

"Are you okay?"

Ladybug is at his side, her brow furrowed in concern. 

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He feels like an idiot but he's fine.

She's doing her lucky charm soon after, and he never does get the talk to her.

* * *

 

Adrien feels awful. He's all too aware of Marinette staring back at him with flushed cheeks and hopeful eyes. It's a look he's all too aware of it and he wonders why he hadn't noticed it before. It's the same look he's sure he's almost always giving Ladybug.

"I just -- I don't expect you to say anything back. Like now. Or I mean I don't expect _anything_. I--I just had to tell you. _Finally_. That, I like you and, um, please say something?"

His throat feels like cotton. He really should say something but the words feel frozen in place.

Marinette is Marinette. She is sweet, funny, honest and a little strange but she's his friend and he cherishes her.

She's also not Ladybug.

"I --I'm sorry," he says, and he wonders if this is also how Ladybug felt when she turned him down. "There's. . .someone else I like."

Her blue eyes dart down immediately. 

"It's okay! I understand! She's. . . a lucky girl."

There's a smile across her lips that both sad and bittersweet, and he hates himself.

"Marinette, I---"

She shakes her head once, smiling a smile that doesn't quite touch her eyes, before waving a hand to him. "I have to go meet Alya. See you later!"

And she's running off before he gets the chance to say anything.

His chest tightens. 

* * *

Marinette avoids him the next few days. She smiles and waves at him only from a distance before always walking away and never leaving him a chance to catch up to her. The rejection hurts but he deserves it. He's never really had friends before attending school but now the idea of losing a friend is both terrifying and painful. He doesn't dare tell Nino about the situation least it embarrass Marinette more.

He always makes mistakes.

But Chat Noir doesn't, and he thinks he likes being Chat Noir more. 

His legs dangle from the top of the building he's perched on. The moon is full and lights up the night sky prettily. There's no akuma, not now, only the silence of the night. It's peaceful and he thinks he'd like it more if he wasn't stuck with his thoughts. A distraction would have been nice.

_So, an akuma would be better than thinking? Really?_

The irony doesn't fail him.

He hears the thud of soft feet against the floor. He knows who it is without turning. Everything about her -- her presence, her smell, her voice, it _calls_ him.

"Taking a cat-nap?" 

Her voice is whimsical and light. 

He leans back his weight on his hands. "Just watching the view."

Ladybug walks over to sit by him, dangling her feet over as well. "Trying to get away, too?"

The way she says it draws his attention. It's true, he is, but the way she says 'too' is what catches his attention.

"You too?"

Her hand reaches up to brush her bangs back. His eyes watch her as she drops her hands into her lap. It seems more distracted than fidgeting. "You remember this place, right?"

Of course, he does. It's where he planned that surprise for her and she didn't show up. It's also where he confessed his feelings for her and she turned him down. He nods his head in response, waiting. She wouldn't bring that question up for no reason.

"Well, I was just remembering the last time we were here, and. . ." She trails off, biting on her lower lip. "I came here without even thinking about it. It hasn't been an easy past few days."

He tilts his head almost similar in a way to a cat. "Why not?"

Her blue eyes dart up to the side to look at him before looking back down at her gloved hands. He rarely sees her like this -- pensive and almost solemn. She is almost always radiating with confidence and mirth. It's another side of her he's never seen. 

"I confessed to the boy I liked and he turned me down," she says, finally, her voice soft.

_What._ Adrien falls into stunned silence, lips parting open. _She_ got turned down? He doesn't think it's possible but the look on her face says otherwise. She looks dejected. He doesn't like that look across her face. He thinks about all the things he can tell her -- jokes, flirtatious comments but none of them seem appropriate for the current moment.

He settles for something he would say without the miraculous. 

"I'm sorry."

She looks up at him briefly before sighing and letting her head fall onto his shoulder. Almost immediately it feels like his heart is about to burst out of his chest. 

"Thank you for listening, Chat."

_Don't purr, don't purr._

He doesn't purr thank goodness. He swallows before replying without the usual flirtation. "Of course. Anything for you."

And he means it. He really does.

The boy who turned down Ladybug is an idiot.

* * *

 

He is an idiot.

Being in front of Marinette's locker is not a good idea. The silver charm bracelet he bought is something he'd like to give her in person. If only he could actually go up to her and give her to her that is, but she's still always at a distance.

"What are you doing?"

Adrien stirs, almost dropping the small wrapped box in his hand. It's Alya, arms crossed and one eyebrow cocked up in a quizzical look. Marinette is, surprisingly, not in sight.  He doesn't know whether he should be relieved or disappointed. Probably both.

"Um, I had something for--"

"Marinette, right?"

Of course, she would know. She's Marinette's best friend, after all. Still it doesn't stop him from slouching his shoulders rather pitifully. 

"Hm." Alya looks at him for a long second before opening the locker. Apparently, they know each other's combination which isn't surprising either. Once it's opened she turns back to him and gives him another long, piercing look. He blinks back feeling uncertain. Is she mad at him? Is Marinette mad at him? 

"Give her some time."

That's all she says before she's gone. He still puts the present in Marinette's locker and closes it before losing his resolve. It's only until later that day does he realize he forgot to put the note with the gift in the locker as well.

* * *

 

It's become a habit becoming Chat Noir to get away. It's liberating. All the responsibilities and things he can't do as himself piece away when he's Chat Noir. He thinks about his friendship with Marinette and how they can repair it. Alya had told him to give her time so he respects that even if it hurts. Already he misses her kind and sunny demeanor. They haven't talked in days. Before he knows it he's almost near the patio of Marinette's house. She's outside, leaning against the rail and looking up at the sky. He gets closer, calling out before jumping down to the patio.

"Hello."

She jumps in surprise, eyes widening upon hearing him. "Oh, gosh, you scared me!" Her hand darts up to her chest as if to calm down her heart. It's then he sees the cling of silver charms around her tiny wrist. His bracelet.

His throat feels suddenly dry. So, she is wearing it after all. Does she know it's from him? Did Alya tell her?

He clears his throat. "Sorry about that. I saw you and thought I'd say hi."

She appears to calm down and lean her weight against the rail again. "It's okay, I don't mind."

It feels strange to talk to her after so many days. Even as just Chat Noir. She's resting her cheeks upon her hands, staring absently ahead. When she seems to realize he's staring she ducks down a bit, embarrassed. "What?"

He's missed that.

Adrien smiles. "Nothing. It's great to talk to you again."

He's not talking about himself as Chat Noir either. He's talking about actually _himself_. 

She actually smiles, and it's a pretty smile. Then, she's flushing, turning away from him.

Wait -- did he say that out loud??

"Thank you," she mumbles, brushing hair out of her eyes.

Yup, he did. Yikes. He's embarrassed now that's for sure. He plays it off. It's not too hard. He's used to playing this role.

"Of course." 

He thinks this might be the only chance he gets to talk to her, for now. They've talked about his, before, sort of. Thinking back on it he realizes how much of an idiot he is. The love life problems, the boy -- she had been talking about _him_. 

"Everything okay? You seem kind of out of it," he asks though he thinks he knows the answer. 

She plays with the charm at her wrist. "I confessed to the boy I liked but he turned me down."

Something about the moment then feels like déjà vu.

_"I confessed to the boy I liked and he turned me down."_

He remembers Ladybug telling him this, too. It's strange to think that both of them had been rejected so closely together in time. There's this weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. It feels like his gut is twisting.

"Oh?" He plays dumb, of course, but his throat feels like cotton. "His loss."

She smiles lightly and it's bittersweet. Her wrist with the charm bracelet is pressed against her chest, cradled against her heart. "I've been awful about it, too. I keep avoiding him. It hurts but it actually hurts more to be away from him I've realized." 

Adrien doesn't know what to say. He feels like he's intruding in her personal moment because she doesn't know that he's actually Chat Noir. The guilt seeps in. 

Marinette smiles, and this time it's sweeter, more like her normal self. "But I'm okay now. I feel better about it. His friendship is the most important to me."

His chest tightens. He's said those words before to himself about Ladybug. 

_She's like you. ._

Him and Marinette aren't so different he realizes. Finally, when they depart he feels like he's missing something very important.

* * *

 

"Don't you dare peek!"

He won't, and she knows this. Her trust in him is important, and it makes his heart flutter to know that she has so much trust in him. The door that separates him feels like a barrier. He tries not to linger too long before finally stepping away from the pantry, least the limited time he has to go away runs out too. It isn't easy. To think that he could see Ladybug's true identity for just a _split_ second. She would never trust him again though. Instead, he steps away to another room to change out of his transformation. When he's finished and going out of the room into the hallway he sees the pantry door cracked open. She's gone by now, of course.

Adrien doesn't know why but he goes into the pantry anyways. It's small enough only to fit a person and full with shelves of canned goods and beans. He sighs and closes his eyes briefly. His feet move to exit the room when he steps on something hard. Green eyes dart down to the ground to spy the flicker of silver.

It's a charm bracelet with an initial M charm on it.

He thinks he forgets to breathe for a split second.

Picking it up, he turns it over in his hand, feeling the coldness of the silver. It's the one he bought Marinette and saw her wearing yesterday night when they spoke. Why would it be in the pantry?

Ladybug was just in here.

Ladybug. 

No way.

_"---he turned me down."_

Pieces click one-by-one. The puzzle is complete.

He's the biggest idiot of them all.

* * *

 

"You're pretty out of it, man."

Adrien looks up from his notes to his friend. Nino adjusts his glasses, an eyebrow raised.

"Sorry?" He offers, a little sheepish.

Nino shakes his head and turns back to his phone. At that moment Alya and Marinette enter the room. Adrien feels his heart skip a beat or two in his chest. Marinette smiles and waves as she places her things down on her table. Her wrist is naked, but that's not surprising. He still has the charm bracelet. She turns over to him, and her expression is sweet and a little shy. Like normal.

"I never did thank you for the bracelet. It's beautiful, thank you," she says, brushing her bangs away. There's this light flush across her cheeks that's endearing. 

_It's always been you._

Nino elbows him, and he realizes he hasn't said anything. His eyes widen briefly. "Oh. You're welcome, Marinette. I'm glad you liked it."

She's not rambling like she used to he notes but the moment feels like before everything that happened. Almost. It's the same and yet it's different.

The charm bracelet feels like it burns in his jean pocket.


	2. Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien takes a page out of Chat Noir's book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie, thanks to all the lovely kudos and comments on the last part. It really helped make me motivated to write this final part quicker. Here's hoping I can write another piece for this oblivious dorks soon. Stay tuned.-xx

He's not sure why he's doing this. He's not normally an eavesdropper.

Marinette's clutching onto her book, brilliant blue eyes wide. The boy is waiting for her response to his love confession.

"Uh, I -- uh, well, I'm flattered! Really! But I -- can't." Her expression is apologetic and sad.

Adrien turns away, back pressed against the wall. Of course other guys would notice Marinette. She's amazing, pretty and kindhearted. He's the one whose been trying to create a barrier between them unknowingly. He spots the purple butterfly hovering over the boy after it's too late.

"Marinette!"

She's already walking past the boy but her eyes widen upon hearing him call her name. She turns, looks back at the boy and sees his form changing. He's growing bigger, clothes taking on a blue colored jumpsuit.

He lets out something a bark that makes the whole school tremble and hurts Adrien's ears. It subsides, and everyone in the school is scattering around, running scared. Adrien runs out to grab Marinette's wrist.

"Come on!" He yells, taking her with him. She doesn't fight him, and he drags them into the library.

"Adrien?" Her eyes are wide in shock.

"Hide here, okay? I'll try to lead him away!"

"Adrien!"

He doesn't stay, knows she'll transform soon enough. At least he can buy her some time. He ducks into the nearby boy's bathroom. Plagg pops out from his bag, blinking. "Another?"

"Plagg, claws out!"

He feels the transformation, the power surging from his ring onto his body. Once it's done he bursts out of the bathroom, running down the hall. There's another loud bark, and the school is trembling. Adrien feels his cat ears burning from the ringing, and he darts his hands up to them wincing. It passes a minute later finally. The damage is done, however. Already now he can see the cracks beginning to form in the floor.

"Every time he does that it's like an earthquake."

Adrien feels himself stiffen in surprise and his cheeks feel warm. Ladybug drops down from the lockers, her yo-yo spinning back into place. Her expression is serious.

"Sounds like a bad case of Jurassic _bark_."

Marinette groans, and Adrien can't help the cat like grin that comes across his lips.

"Save the bad puns for latter, kitty. We have to find this guy's akuma before it's too late."

She runs off, and he follows close on her tail. Hah. _Tail_. See, he's funny even in his head.

The akumatized boy screeches again, and the sound hurts Adrien's ears. The black cat ears flatten against his hair, and he makes a pained face. Marinette is covering her ears, too, brows furrowed in a look of pain. Not good. It looks like as long as the boy can make a sound they can't get close enough to try to counter. How are they supposed to stop him and find the akuma?

"Lucky charm!" Marinette spins her yo-yo up in the air. There's a glow as it begins to change form. A pair of red ear plugs fall into her hands.

"What? Ear plugs?" Her lips purse as she darts her eyes around. "Wait, Chat, I need your belt!"

He doesn't even question it. "Right!" He takes off the belt from his waist and throws it her way.

She catches it with ease, putting the ear plugs quickly into her ears. It's just in time because there's another loud bark that leaves Adrien wincing heavily, hands darting up to his ears. Adrien sees Ladybug move, spinning the belt like a lasso and using it to catch the villain's wrist. He falls forwards, leaving time for Marinette to go forwards and take the ring off his hand. She crushes it in her hand and the akuma flutters out.

"It's time to de-evilize!"

She traps it with ease, purifying it and throwing out the ear plugs into the air with her traditional cry. Everything turns back to normal, including the akumatized boy. Adrien watches Marinette give the boy a sympathetic look before the beeping of her earrings warns her. Her hand darts up to her earring. "Oops, I have to go." She smiles over at Adrien, and he feels his heart skip a beat.

He watches her fly out with her yo-yo out the window. 

* * *

 "What a crazy day? Can you believe we had an akuma attack here? I can't believe I missed seeing Ladybug!"

Marinette hides a smile behind her hand then her eyes flicker over to Adrien and she darts her gaze down. 

"Okay, don't forget to read pages sixteen through twenty-one for tomorrow's lesson. Class dismissed!" 

The students begin to walk out of the classroom and outside of the school. Nino is talking to him but Adrien is far too distracted. He hand bumps against his pocket where the charm bracelet is in. He can't do it here though. Too crowded. He has to think of another way to be able to talk to Marinette.

"Hey, Marinette!"

She stops and turns around, blinking.

His throat feels a bit dry as he swallows. It's never been this hard to talk to her before. Not even when she was Ladybug. 

"Would you like to get some ice cream later?"

Her eyes widen in surprise. Alya and Nino almost mirror her reaction, and it's almost comedic. _Yeah, me too._ The words had just slipped out of his mouth.

"Oh -- um, really? With me? You? No way -- I mean, not no, I'm not saying no! I mean yes!" Her face goes through a series of different expressions as she rambles. It's cute, and he can't help but smile. 

His ride his waiting for him, unfortunately. He knows better than to push his luck so he waves at her, turning. "Okay, let's meet in the park at five?" 

He leaves before his nerves get the best of him. The ride home feels long and yet not long enough. Will he walk to the park? Probably would be better. It would feel uncomfortable to have his driver following him along. His father isn't home when he arrives but that's not surprising. He's gotten used to be alone by now. Adrien drops his stuff on the nearby table in his room. Plagg slips out of his bag, floating around. 

"I need Camembert cheese," Plagg whines.

He hands him a left over piece from the fridge, and Plagg is stuffing its face soon after.

"So, what are you going to do? Are you going to confess to Marinette?"

Adrien darts his gaze to the side, embarrassed. "I haven't really thought it through."

Plagg cheeks puff out as he munches on a rather big bite. Adrien is still surprised by his kwami's eating habits. Then again he's never had anything even close to a pet so it's all new to him. Not that Plagg is a pet, anyways.

"But now you know she's the girl you're in love with! Even though you did reject her last week."

Right. He turned her down. He feels his expression drop, horrified. Marinette probably doesn't even like him anymore after that. How is he supposed to tell her now? He falls back on his bed, hands drawing up to cover his face. Talk about a huge mistake. If only he could take it back. His hands drop to his side as he stares up at the ceiling. 

"I'm going to tell her," he decides, finally.

Even if she rejects him again. 

It's strange. He rejected her as Marinette and she rejected him as Chat Noir.

Plagg shoves another piece of cheese into his mouth and swallows. "Well if you're planning to make it on time then I'd hurry if I were you."

"What?!"

Adrien had forgotten about the time. He glances at the clock, noting the time. There's no way he'd make it walking but--.

"Oh, no."

"Plagg," Adrien smiles, a little too coy.

"But I didn't finish eating--!"

* * *

The wind feels cool against his face as he jumps, big, far jumps from building to building. He can just about make the markings of the park up ahead. He makes another big leap onto a building and slides down into an empty alley. He calls the end of his transformation and just as quickly he's back to being himself.

"You owe me double Camembert later." It's a grumble as the kwami ducks into Adrien's bag.

"You can have all you want later, Plagg," he promises.

He doesn't move for a minute or two, trying to take a deep breath before he's walking. There are a few people walking around the park but not many. He looks around until his eye finally fall upon Marinette sitting on the bench. He feels his stomach twist in nervousness before he walks over to her. 

"Hey." He smiles, settling down on the bench beside her. 

She smiles back, and it's sweet and a little shy looking. "Thank you for inviting me," she mumbles, her voice going a little soft. It sounds exactly like Ladybug's in those few quiet moments together.

He can't help but feel a little flustered. He's spent so much time wondering who Ladybug really was and here she is. 

"I, uh, have something for you."

Marinette cants her head to the side, looking at him with curious eyes. There's not any person out there with eyes like her, he thinks. It's now or never. He digs into his pocket and pulls out the charm bracelet, holding it out to her. There's initial surprise in her eyes but then her expression shifts. She looks relieved, hands coming up to take it in her palms. "You found it?" 

"Yeah, in the pantry."

Marinette blinks, and he tries to ignore the flips his stomach is doing.

"--my lady," he adds.

Recognition kicks in across her face. If possible her eyes go wider, a noticeable flush going across her cheeks. Her hands clutch the bracelet, and he sees her slide backwards. His stomach drops. This isn't the reaction he expected from her. 

"No. . ." She says in a shaky voice, shaking her head once. "We aren't supposed to know each other."

Adrien leans forwards. "Why not?"

Her gaze averts to the ground, and she looks sad. He doesn't like that look across her face. He makes another attempt at sliding closer to her but she has a hand rising in front of her as if to keep him away. That hurts. It feels like his heart is breaking into two.

"I'm _Marinette_." It's desperate sounding as if she's trying to believe it herself. He knows better now though.

"You're more than that," he murmurs, sincerely.

Her expression looks pained as she clutches the bracelet against her chest. She looks just like that night before when she was talking to him as Chat Noir. Open and vulnerable. He wants to hold her, just once, but doesn't dare cross that boundary just yet. The thought of her rejecting him is terrifying enough. 

"I'm not like her," she says weakly. "I'm not confident or courageous."

But she is. He's been just too blind to see the similarities. The way she defends her friends and the way they defend her. The way she hides into a shell, scared of her own abilities much like him.

He shakes his head and reaches out to hold onto her arm. 

"What a  _pawful_ lie." He gives a secretive smile. 

Her eyes go watery then, and she sniffs. Adrien's quick to remove his hand, alarmed. Did he hurt her by chance? Was his grip too tight? If anything he had worried she would feel the tremble in his hand at that moment. She shakes her head, rubbing at her eyes. Her hands drop soon after, eyelashes wet, and there's a smile blossoming across her lips. It's radiant like the sun and takes his breath away.

"No more awful than that pun."

" _Meowch_." He feigns hurt. 

She gives a small, chiming laugh behind a hand. He dares to reach and take her free hand at her side in his. She looks down in surprise briefly before looking back at him with flushed cheeks. He's sure he's about as red as she is at the moment. He's almost sure she'll pull away but all she does is grip his hand in hers and smiles shyly.

* * *

 

"Talk about a pain in the butt." He grumbles, resisting the urge to rub at his rear. The last attack had sent him flying back against a building before Marinette had gone through with her lucky charm.

Marinette is all teases and smiles. "Poor kitty," she coos, in her honey like voice as she reaches up to tighten the ribbons in her hair.

Her yo-yo is taken out as she uses it to tie around a light pole to push herself upwards onto the nearby building. He doesn't want her to leave just yet though so he's pouncing up and up until he's on the same building by her side. "Hey, wait," he says, grabbing her wrist, once he catches up to her.

 Her yo-yo pauses in its spinning action, falling back into place at her side. He thinks she might be blushing but he can't tell with her mask. He tries to gather up his nerves.

"Do you want to go grab some ice cream?"

She blinks in surprise. "Oh. Um, sure?"

It's probably not supposed to be a question but it comes out sounding like one. He hears her earrings beep along with his ring but his grip on her wrist doesn't falter. She looks up at him as if trying to read him. He merely smiles, loosening his grip only to let his hand drop down from her wrist to her hand. Her hand feels small in his and warm. 

"Can I--?"

He doesn't finish his sentence but she seems to realize what he wants. She closes her eyes and the powers fade away, her form glowing as Tikki appears. "Oh!" The kwami is startled, fluttering at Marinette's side. She's red much like Ladybug's color scheme. 

Adrien closes his eyes and feels his transformation fade away, Plagg appearing. There's something akin to light irritation across its dark features. "Took you long enough -- oh."

He smiles and looks over at Marinette who smiles back at him, cheeks a little rosy. 

She's amazing, and he's well aware he still loves her. He thinks he probably always felt something for her, regardless if she is Ladybug or not. He just couldn't admit it to himself without feeling like he was betraying his feelings for Ladybug. If Ladybug had been anyone else he doesn't think he would feel the same stirring of longing in his chest.

"How are we going to get down?" She breaks the silence, finally.

Oh. Right. He hadn't thought about that. Plagg chortles at his side, and he tries not to smack a hand to his own face. He looks around, trying to think of a way until they spot the fire exit at the side. A few minutes later they're finally down at the ground level and Marinette is giggling, her kwami hiding in her small purse. Their hands brush against each other along the way to the ice cream parlor, and it's even harder to ignore the twinkle in Andre's eyes as he gives them ice cream that matches their color schemes. Marinette peeks up over her mint chocolate chip ice cream at him. The bench they're currently sitting at faces the lowering sun in the distance. 

"See, we even have a fan-club," he says, in between eating his ice cream.

She flushes prettily, averting her gaze. "I wasn't a big fan of mint until after meeting you."

The confession is so honest and _sweet_ and makes his heart pound in his chest. He swallows hard.

"Do you -- still like me?"

She doesn't meet his eyes, staring at her feet. He feels his heart stop in his chest. He opens his mouth to apologize but she's already answering him.

"Yes," she whispers.

He closes his mouth, tries to think anything past the warmth across his face. She's here in front of him, within reach for a change. His hope soars.

"Me too," he murmurs back, his voice full of warmth, "I like you too."

Marinette looks over at him, her lips parted. He thinks back to that brief picture he saw with that spokesperson showing their 'romantic' moments so to speak with the kiss. The one he doesn't remember, that is. How had she felt during that moment? He also thinks it's very, _very_ unfair that he doesn't remember it. He finds himself leaning in, and she doesn't shrink away.

"Your ice cream is melting..."

"I know." But he doesn't care about it at the moment. "Marinette... can I--?" His voice trails as he swallows. It's easier as Chat Noir to be flirtatious and confident. How many times before had he tried to get a kiss from Marinette as Ladybug? Too many to count. 

She seems to read what he's asking, and her cheeks turn red before she's closing her eyes. He takes that as the sign that it's okay to push past that _boundary_ between them. He's a little more confident as he leans over and meets her mouth with his. She tastes sweet much like the ice cream she is eating, and he's not sure he's doing it all right but at the moment it doesn't matter. He feels something drip onto his hand, so he pulls away, darting his glance down. His ice cream is beyond melting by now.

"Ah."

Marinette giggles, a hand darting up to her mouth. He gives her an amused and affectionate look.

It's not their first kiss per say but it's still pretty perfect in his opinion.

* * *

"A lot of fans are currently talking about how you and Ladybug seem closer. What do you have to say about that?"

It's not the first time Adrien's been interviewed but he doubts it'll be the last. Even before he became Chat Noir he's always been stuck in front of a video camera for his modeling career. He's long gotten over camera fright as a result. Marinette side-eyes him as if she knows what's coming. He doesn't disappoint he thinks when gives an award winning smile.

"Well, what do you think?" He winks behind his mask.

Marinette sighs at his side.


End file.
